w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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Feb 21, 2007 19:49:01 GMT
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As there is one for the W115 i thought i would start one for the W126 as i am looking for one for my next car so any info would be good. I searched for abit, there are loads of results which often have nothing to do with them so not much info appears so i thpught i would start a fresh thread about them. Now you may all need to sit down for this, but i am currently car less , well i did tell you to sit down. I sold my last car a couple of weeks ago and havent found a W126 to replace it yet. I don't have loads of cash to spend, £1-1.5k really. And i think maybe a 300 wouldnt have the power so possibly a 420. Bigger engine would be ok if the car was good value and good condition. (theres a white 560 sel on ebay at buyitnow of £1.3k) The problem is i am not mechanical and have no transport most of the time, so i cant fix loads of problems and have no clue what to check when viewing. I live in yorkshire and alot of the cars are more down south as well. I don't mind travelling to pick up a car, but its expensive to go by train just to have a look when i don't really know what to check anyway . A nice 560 SEC would be nice ;D bt i wont get one for that price, they are nearer £3,000 or £12k if you look in a classic car magazine, especially as a fancy a later one as after '85 were apparently improved somewhat and nearer/early 90's would be better. So any good info from you knowledgeable lot? Also what kind of realistic MPG will the different engines do as quite a few of my journeys are short distance so getting the engine nice and warm is not always possible. Thanks, Mark.
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Feb 21, 2007 19:58:08 GMT
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i paid 1k for my 500 sec. mpg, well anywhere from 8 - 25, depending on how it was driven and where. didnt like towns fuel wise. rust wise, check the usual places, but especially the underside of the parcel shelf, round the seal of the rear window and the boot floor. i was lucky, my worst rust was along the edge of the boot, but it hadnt broken the paint. rear windows are notorious for delaminating, and cost a fortune to replace. don't know about the sel versions cos ive not had one yet. utter piffle is the man in the know.
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w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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Feb 21, 2007 23:11:29 GMT
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Last Edit: Feb 21, 2007 23:13:56 GMT by w126
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Ether
Posted a lot
Posts: 4,450
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Hi mate, W126's are quality rides. From my (limited) knowledge, ownership and the things I noticed when stripping one I would definitely check out the panel underneath the rear window. These 80's Mercs have nasty habit of collecting water in the corners of the rear screen which rots that rear window apperture out a good 'un. When you're looking at one, feel under the screen from inside the boot. If you pull out a big chunk of rust then you've got a big bodywork bill on your hands - they don't make repair panels for that area so you've got to get one made up or make one yourself and weld it in perfectly so it doesn't leak. Wings also tend to go just in front of the arches but there are plenty of bits like that in the Merc scrappies across the country. Peope often put chrome arches on, too - these are rust traps and although it looks kinda pimpin', there are probably horrors underneath. The front chassis kick-up on mine had a massive hole in but I'm not sure if that's a W126 thing or a bought-a Benz-from-a-guy-who-called-himself-dodgy-sid thing. Worth checking nonetheless. If its speccded to the hilt it'll probably have height-adjustable hydraulic suspension - check it works because it's bastid expensive to buy a new pump. It'll sit loooow if it's knackered. Don't buy a 280 because they're rubbish. The 500 or 560 are the best to go for simply because V8's are cool and the big ones are just as thirsty as the rest but tons more powerful, to the tune of 300bhp Bits are cheap (compared with moderns and J stuff) from the likes of GSF and Euro Car Parts and loads of the Merc parts departments I've been to have had W126 stuff in stock. Don't be too put off by high-mile V8's, they barely go above 2500rpm (mine cruised at 70-odd at 2600rpm) but do get the timing chain changed as soon as possible unless there's very strong evidence to suggest it's been done recently like (main dealer receipt). There are people on here that know loads about these so they will give you a far better breakdown. But as far as I'm concerned, they're awesome cars, really reliable and insanely comfortable. If you go for a saloon shape (like the eBay car) get an SEL, the L bit means it has a longer wheelbase and an insane amount of passenger leg room. Cool options to look out for are power reclining rear seats, super-spec power front seats with power headrests and inflatable backrest thingys and power steering column. If it's your first classic, you can't really go wring with a Merc, especially a W126. They were streaks ahead of their time and have got to be amongst the best luxobarges ever built. Good luck! M
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w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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Thanks for that info, my last car looked like this It was a 91 but has alot more technology than the Merc would at the time. Will be a bit of a change, I gather these will lean abit when cornering. The suspension pump for the car I had was circa £2k :eek:. Bits were pricey in general for it though I forgot the 560 had the fancier suspension. Although one of the places I think it was gsf had a few of the main parts for under £200 a side, beats £1.6k per strut :eek:. Are the timing chains due for change every 100k miles and is there a time based gap as well, 10 years perhaps. How much does it cost for a garage to change it? Shame I cant get someone to look over it then if its a good example go pay and pick it up. Ive never welded and have no equipment so I would rather find one thats not rusted at all or only superficial if it has. but i'll check under the window, does it have a trim panel cover it at all? Thanks for your help, any more advice would be great. Thanks, Mark.
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Last Edit: Feb 22, 2007 5:29:27 GMT by w126
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Mr S
Posted a lot
10-4 Good buddy.
Posts: 2,654
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Feb 22, 2007 10:23:51 GMT
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I've got a 420SEL (well, had - the wife's nicked in now that she can drive....) and it's great!
4.2 V8 (231bhp), 195k on the clock, I've just converted it to run on LPG too so it's cheap to run. It will do mid 20s mpg on a run, and around 15mpg round town, so it's cheap to run now it's on LPG! lol
The most common rot areas are the front wings (underneath and around the indicators) and under the rear window as streetrules said.
If the gearbox feels a bit clonky, then don't worry, just change the filter and fluid and chances are it'll be sweet again. If it slips, then walk away, gearbox rebuilds are expensive, and there are plenty out there!
Don't go for a straight six, they're barely more economical, underpowered and generally don't have all the toys that the large engined ones have. Mine's got full leather, electric front seats (even the headrests go up and down...), air-con, electric windows/sunroof/ariel etc. and it rocks.
I couldn't think of a more practical everyday family car to be honest!!
Cheers, Martin
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Suzuki GSXR1000 K2 BMW R1150GS BMW K1200RS Chevy K5 Blazer Chevy Suburban LT Jaguar XKR
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w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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Thanks for that, i think V8 will be the way forward again. That white 560sel has been buy it now'd though , so the search goes on. Getting bored of having no car though .
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Mr S
Posted a lot
10-4 Good buddy.
Posts: 2,654
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Keep the search going, there's plenty out there and they're well worth tracking down! FWIW, mine cost £330 and just has a couple of rust bubbles and needed 2 exhaust downpipes and a crossover pipe (£200 - genuine parts from the local motor factor!!) and it's needed nothing other than routine maintenance since!
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Suzuki GSXR1000 K2 BMW R1150GS BMW K1200RS Chevy K5 Blazer Chevy Suburban LT Jaguar XKR
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w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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Feb 23, 2007 18:43:39 GMT
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That looks nice, somthing along those lines would be ideal.
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Feb 23, 2007 19:13:24 GMT
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I paid £1170 for this unseen off ebay 500se Fully loaded, grey leather heated seats, AC (needed gassing), Electric everything, cruise etc Needed a pair of Dampers on the rear from ECP (Made a world of difference to the ride and handling) and I managed to kill the Gearbox ;D 426Nm of torque so they are torque limited in the 1st 3 gears But I was Full Bore Full throttle Manual shifting at the time which destroyed it £650 fitted for another Box Smoked it around for 3 or 4 months and sold it for just under £1300 on Ebay again ;D Epic car and would have another one Tomorrow Motorway slip roads on Kickdown were just hilarious ;D ;D Would love to change ratios in one as they are geared for the moon, and fit a supra manual box to have some fun with ;D but ultimately they are great for motorways in sublime comfort rather than Back road blasting HTH Dom
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w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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That looks nice as well, pretty much all the colour combinations look good.
I suppose having the car hooked up to 6 speeds would make it pretty fast and rev low at high speeds. Could be quite a crazy car, I wonder if people supercharge them as well :eek:.
I wonder why they did the 5l compared to the 6.9l in the previous model as the largest engine until the 5.6 came out.
Either way, hopefully a nice one I can afford in good condition will appear soon, preferably near by.
Thanks for the posts so far.
Also. did any of the cars you bought come with any history at all?
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Last Edit: Feb 24, 2007 5:38:32 GMT by w126
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hitman
Part of things
Posts: 645
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someone I no is sellin one of these its on an h plate 4 door with 193.000 on the clock full merc history,the car looks like its done 40.000 ish (mint)but its up for around 2k thought it was on the high side
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Last Edit: Feb 24, 2007 9:17:03 GMT by hitman
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w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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Feb 24, 2007 17:13:53 GMT
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There is a 420 se with 180k iirc miles but has no history but runs well apparently. Thats £995.
Think they will need a cam chain change at 200k though.
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w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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Does anyone know roughly how much it would cost to change a cam chain on a 500 SEC, i have found what could be a really nice one but has done 103k with no indication of a timing chain change.
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On these Merc V8s the chain guide rails should also be replaced. This can be a right PITA as some are held in by pins drifted into the head, with an internal thread for removal with a special tool. You can fabricate some kind of slide hammer but it isn't always successful (I've tried and still haven't managed it!). With the engine in the car I can imagine it to be real hellish. I could be wrong here, but the guide rails may have had the design changed to ones with a removable outer piece which means that you don't need to take out the entire guide rail.
Saying all that, you could find that an MB specialist garage has got a technique and they can do it really easily!
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w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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Do you know roughly how much a garage might charge for parts and the labour time required to do that?
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I really don't know. Timing chain from Euro car parts is about £35 I think (it was for my 4.5 M117 anyway), genuine MB one will be more. Then there are 4 or 5 guide rails... I think they are Mercedes only parts. With it being a routine maintenance job, there shouldn't be any "sucking air through teeth" malarkey from the garage and you should get a straight forward answer for how much it'd cost. Try the MB dealer, but also see if you can find an independent Merc specialist as their labour charges won't be as expensive. Maybe someone on here who works in the trade can give you a ball-park figure, or at least tell you how long it should take and you can get a rough price from that, as I think labour charges will be the biggest cost. Sorry I can't be of more help
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Ether
Posted a lot
Posts: 4,450
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From £120-£220 depending where you take it. You can do it yourself really easily it your new chain comes with a split link.
I would go for genuine MB parts - for the sake of a few squid you'll get a better product. And you won't want your chain snapping!
BenzBoy - did you try Ken mate?
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Last Edit: Mar 1, 2007 14:35:30 GMT by Ether
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w126
Part of things
Posts: 19
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Thanks for your help BenzBoy And Streetrules £220 or below should be reasonable, didnt want it being £500+, lol.
I wonder if there is a Merc specialist in Yorkshire.
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BenzBoy - did you try Ken mate? Not yet, I'm in the middle of moving house! ;D I will do though, I'd like to get those little bits sorted for the summer ideally.
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